news US sends three-person disaster response team to earthquake-stricken Myanmar

[GraceRandolph]

The United States is sending a three-person disaster response team to earthquake-stricken Myanmar, days after much larger contingents from China and Russia began pulling people out of the rubble.

The scaled-down response was evidence of the US's abdication of its role as a world leader, said Jeremy Konyndyk, a former lead for disaster relief at the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).

"It's not a case of worst-practice, it's really a case of no-practice," Mr Konyndyk, who is now president of Refugees International, told the ABC.

"It just makes the US look, frankly, kind of weak and irrelevant to most of the other countries that have shown up in force to support the people of Myanmar."

The New York Times reported the US team was expected to arrive on Wednesday — five days after the 7.7-magnitude earthquake flattened large parts of the country's biggest cities on Friday.

The death toll according to Myanmar's ruling junta, known as the State Administrative Council (SAC), stands at more than 2,700.

 

Full: https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-04-02/myanmar-earthquake-usaid-cuts-emergency-response/105125224

[Jotham]

At this point, my expectations for the US are so low that I'm surprised that they even sent people in the first place.

[GipJo]

Didn't they get fired after getting there?

[qurl]

uh …

 

the three workers they sent have already been fired and were only notified of their firings after they arrived in Myanmar

[Mandalay]

The money total from the US is 7 million.

First, they announced to aid 2 million and after a while 5 million. Better than nothing I guess.

[Onyxmage]

3 hours ago, qurl said:

uh …

 

the three workers they sent have already been fired and were only notified of their firings after they arrived in Myanmar

what?  

[Princess Aurora]

It just makes the US look, frankly, kind of weak and irrelevant to most of the other countries that have shown up in force to support the people of Myanmar.

 

Ouch